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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418244">88:88</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys'>laehys</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Cyberpunk, Light Angst, M/M, Street Racing, intentional lapslock, neon lights</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:22:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28418244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"you'll get there," mark mumbles, leaning against johnny's touch on the side his face. johnny's eyes are brown and pink and purple, with just a hint of blue from the flickering sign above them. johnny's eyes are colorful and full of love. "i know you'll do it."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mark Lee/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>88:88</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/sungchanery/gifts">sungchanery</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hey mash, this is the 2nd part of ur thing heh</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>johnny's eyes shine purple and pink from all the neon lights around them. the dark, empty alley almost looks imposing and intimidating, but the colorful lights from the closed stores and abandoned establishments keep them company in the cold of the night.</p><p>"don't worry," johnny whispers, even though they're alone. one can never be too careful there and mark knows that, he knows that they can't run any risk when they're so close from the meeting point and away from the safety of their home. "everything will be okay and i'll get back quick—you won't even notice that i'm gone."</p><p>that's a lie because mark always feels johnny's absence when he's not there. there's just something about johnny that makes one aware of when he's not in the room, when he's not present. mark knows the apartment will feel bare and cold when he comes back, that he'll be unquiet and unable to relax; but that's his routine when johnny has another race going on. and the fact he can't watch them, can't be present to support and <em>know</em> what's happening, always keeps him jittery until johnny walks in through the door, dried blood on his face and shoulders carrying the weight of another long night.</p><p>"be careful and don't do anything too stupid," mark replies back, swallowing down everything he really wants to say. <em>don't join tonight. just quit it. let's go back home and forget about all of this. this is too dangerous</em>. johnny chuckles, taking his hand out of his pocket to cradle the side of mark's face. "i'm <em>serious</em>. be careful this time, okay?"</p><p>johnny hums and nods his head, but he doesn't say anything. he doesn't make a promise he can't keep and, for that, mark's grateful. it's a dangerous game that johnny is playing, putting himself on high risk night after night, chasing after something that sometimes feels too far away and too hard to achieve. an impossible dream.</p><p>that's not mark's world. he's not one for all the illegal racings happening in the dead of the night, engines rumbling and disturbing the silence from 4am that hangs heavy upon the city, for sleek cars with their bright lights and fancy equipment, the silent rivalry going on between the racers who never show their faces, only appearing at the scheduled date and place, ready to race and let the police that chases them lost behind the dust and sand that their cars lift up.</p><p>that's not mark's world but it's johnny's. and all that mark can do about it is be supportive.</p><p>he could beg johnny not to do it anymore. could spill tears and cry out to not go out and risk being caught by the police. he knows that johnny would be swayed by his pleading and, maybe, would think about it — but mark doesn't do it. racing is engrained in johnny's body as much as his love for him is, and mark couldn't take this little happiness away from him.</p><p>life in the neo district is already gloomy enough. mark wouldn't be the reason to make his boyfriend's life even more miserable.</p><p>so, before every race, he smiles and nods and wishes johnny a bit of good luck before going back to their apartment, watching the bright city lights that reflected in the building in front of theirs from the little window in their living room, waiting for the moment johnny would walk in, carefully keeping an eye on the holographic clock that hung in the air next to him.</p><p>"everything will be alright," johnny repeats, confidence and certainty bleeding into his voice. it almost makes mark believe in him. "maybe i'll even get the big prize tonight. who knows."</p><p>mark bites his lip for a second before he nods his head, humming. "imagine that—it'd be insane. would you even be able to deal with all the people wanting to congratulate you later?"</p><p>johnny makes a little noise while he thinks for a moment. "maybe i should start working on my winner's speech, then."</p><p>laughing softly, mark shakes his head. "keep your feet on the floor and don't dream that much. maybe next year you'll be joining the big league."</p><p>the smile that spreads across johnny's lips is one of pure joy. it tugs at mark's heartstrings, fills his chest with happiness and a warm feeling, a fluttery thing making itself present behind his ribcage. he could never be the reason to not make johnny smile like that, to be the one to take this away from him.</p><p>"the big league," johnny repeats, a dreamy look appearing on his gaze before he wipes it away. "maybe soon."</p><p>johnny wasn't a bad racer, but compared with the big ones — the ones with their cars being shown all around the city in messages, the ones that the police wanted to find so, <em>so</em> bad —, johnny still had some ground to cover. mark didn't doubt he could do it; he'd seen just a handful of races and even <em>he</em> could see how much talent johnny had. it was only a matter of time.</p><p>johnny would grow and become a target and they both knew it. but he was doing what he loved and, in the middle of the neo district, among fallen concrete and grey skies, to do something that you <em>liked</em> was a privilege.</p><p>"you'll get there," mark mumbles, leaning against johnny's touch on the side of his face. johnny's eyes are brown and pink and purple, with just a hint of blue from the flickering sign above them. johnny's eyes are colorful and full of love. "i know you'll do it."</p><p>though johnny doesn't reply with words, the kiss is more than enough to express what he's feeling. <em>thank you for doing this even though you don't want to</em>, his lips say when their first brush against each other. and <em>i'll try to come back home to you</em> when they finally pull apart, mark's chest heaving and mouth tingling.</p><p>mark can only nod and hold on to that for one more stressful night. johnny doesn't wish him a good night before he goes because he knows that mark won't sleep before he comes back, just like mark doesn't ask him to promise to be careful. it's a silent understanding between them, so mark can only pull johnny to another frenzied kiss before he leaves for good, a helmet on his hand and confidence on his every step as he turns around the corner, vanishing from his view.</p><p>the blue light flickers twice more before it dies completely, a crackling noise following its lack of color. the pinks and purples keep him company until mark can walk back home again, hands shaking by the side of his body, tension thrumming through his veins. his eyes will stay focused on the far-away horizon and on the clock, waiting for something to happen.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>[ <a href="https://twitter.com/pinkhrj">twt</a> | <a href="https://curiouscat.me/rensungie">ccat</a> ]</p></blockquote></div></div>
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